Oil Cleansing Again

I have been off and on “Oil Cleansing” for over a year.  Every time I commit myself to my oil cleansing regimen, I allow life and my everyday struggles to make me too tired to continue on a consistent basis.  That being said, for the last few weeks, I have been fully committed to oil cleansing for my face.  The results have been remarkable.  Consistency truly pays off.  My skin is clearer than it has been in months, and it is soft and supple, not dry and flaky. 

 

Many people praise castor oil as the end all and be all to oil cleansing for the face.  For me my go to oil has been cold pressed organic extra virgin coconut oil.  And while I have previously stressed cleansing at night before going to bed, as suggested by many oil cleansers, I have taken to doing my facial cleanse in the morning.  I believe it has truly rejuvenated my skin. 

So what is my practice, you might be asking???  Well I do not wash my face first, as suggested by many others.  Instead, I start with a clean cotton cloth… this can be cotton facial pads, cotton balls, paper towels, or a clean cotton cloth. My choice is the cloth because I can use the entire cloth without having to continue reaching for replacements during the process.

Next, I thoroughly wash and dry my hands, so that I do not overly contaminate my oil.  Using the very tips of my fingers, I massage the coconut oil into my face in a circular motion.  This helps the oil to penetrate the skin.  Once the oil is spread evenly on my face, I get my cotton towel as hot as I can get it, squeeze out the excess, then place it over my entire face.  Just before the towel completely cools, I reheat and wring out.  Then I use the various parts of the towel to slough off the dead skin and now dirty oil from my face.  I do this in quick movements so that the towel does not cool.  Once I have completely removed the oil and dirt from my entire face, I now cool the towel as cold as my hands can take it, and place the cold cloth over my entire face.  This step helps my pores to close and it also helps seal in the moisture.  I then take a little drop of jojoba oil, and spread it over my face, thus thoroughly trapping in the moisture, but sealing with the oil is the closest to the oil our bodies naturally secrete.

This entire process takes less than five minutes.  And I’m done. 

I do wash my face with water and a towel at night before going to bed.  But I have not been oil cleansing at night.  And I will tell you why.  Unlike the way I wrap my hair at night before going to bed, I cannot wrap my face.  As I thought about the process of applying oil to my face before going to bed, and then rubbing that oil all over my pillow case, I came to the conclusion that the oil and any dirt on the pillow case would mix, and lay on my face during the night.  Paranoid as that might sound, we need to remember that throughout the night, dead skin and other organic materials escape out bodies and is left behind on every surface we lay upon.  All the extra cleaning we’ve done to our faces is for naught.  We end up actually needing to repeat the process again in the morning.  This is the reason why I do a gentle water washing at night before going to bed, and then applying the oil that actually protects my skin from the harsh environment the following morning.

Anyway, don’t just take my word for it, try it yourself. 

This is the jojoba oil that I use:  https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/jojoba-oil/profile

I love Nutiva’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.  In addition to using it for my face (I separate a large amount to use specifically for my face and nothing else), it is also great for cooking.

 For oil cleaning for the body, I use We Are Hadasah’s Oil of Shaman: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/Tahur/tools/listings/188803104

Eating Clean & Losing Weight

About a year ago, I made a decision to just say "to the bad place" with eating "regular".  What I mean by regular is not everyday food, but what some yasharalyt folks deem as okay because "everything is a hybrid."   I posted on the difference between natural hybrids and manmade hybrids before, so I'm not going there today..  That's not even the purpose of this post.  What I am posting about, is my decision to eat 100% the way YHUH intended for mankind to eat.  As it states in Brashyt 1:29-30   29 And Alahym said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was kan.

This isn't some new fad, or special diet.  When YHUH created mankind and all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the heavens and everything creeping on the earth, he saw that it was (kan) right, honest, firm, upright, a right thing, veritable, true, just.   Now it is translated as and it was so, or and so it happened.  BUT, when we look at the true definition of the word kan, we see that its meaning is deeper and more meaningful.  YHUH said that giving mankind as well as the animals plants and fruit of the trees to eat was right and the true and just thing to do. 

Then we know that a short while later, man committed iniquity and transgressed the Turah of YHUH.   By the time we get to Nuach, the world has become such an evil and wicked place, that YHUH felt deep sorrow in His inner being that He had created us.  Brashyt 6:6 In other words, we didn't meet His standards and it brought on His displeasure which resulted in His wrath being spent upon us.  

It is only after all this evilness, wickedness, and transgression has taken place and YHUH has exacted vengeance upon us because of our deliberate and overt disobedience that YHUH gave us more than just plants and fruit to eat. 

We must realize that YHUH did NOT tell Nuach to KILL and EAT the ramash who have life but rather that they will all be to him FOR FOOD. There is a vast difference in this idiom. To kill and eat means to take life and that would be something that YHUH actually expressly forbade Nuach to do. 

As an example, people keep jersey cows for their milk, and laying hens for their eggs, but they do not eat either  “animal.”  I use the term loosely here, because both of these beasts were created by man, so in my eyes, don’t really fit the term animal, as created by YHUH.  But anyway, I’m sure you get the picture. 

Because the flood waters have destroyed all herbs and the fruit trees were not in season due to the devastation of the Flood, it would seem that YHUH "permitted" Nuach to eat the eggs of the reptiles since they were at his reach.   It is thought by Abaryt Scholars that YHUH told Nuach to eat reptiles or at least their eggs. There is a clear distinction between man, cattle, birds and reptiles that is, “ramash” who “creep” or “glide” on the ground. Brashyth 9:2-3 “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every ramash (creeping/gliding/swiftly moving/reptile) that liveth shall be food for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.”

The first thing we must note in this text is the fact that there is a distinction between the fishes of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the Earth and the one who “moveth upon the earth.” The King James translators have used the word “moveth” in this case instead of “creepeth” as they have done in other passages. It means one and the same: ramash “to glide or crawl” and is used in reference to reptiles. Cattle, sheep, goats, fowl, etc., are not reptiles and therefore they were not included in “all that creepeth upon the earth” of which YHUH spoke to Nuach. YHUH spoke to Nuach only about “ramash” that is, reptiles.

So does this mean that YHUH told mankind to eat all herbs which bear seed and all fruit of the trees, as well as the seed and the fruit of the reptiles ie. their eggs?  This is a conundrum that I will continue to study.  But it is clear that YHUH did not give Nuach permission to eat meat.   In fact, it is ridiculous to believe that YHUH told Nuach to kill and eat any animal that came out of the Ark when we know that there were only a pair of each specie – a male and female (albeit seven pair of tahar animals)- and that they were spared from the Flood in order to be able to propagate their species. Imagine if Nuach wanted to kill a camel (tama/unclean animal, just using it as a reference) and roast it on fire. That would have been the end of camels. The same is true of host of other species.  Even if Nuach had just started eating tahar animals, the result would have been the same. 

YHUH could not have told Nuach to kill and eat any animal that came forth from the Ark since that would have defeated YHUH’s purpose of saving them in order to repopulate the Earth. as well as provide substantial slaughterings unto Him. 

YHUH never spoke of killing animals is clear from verse 4 in which YHUH expressly forbade Nuach to shed blood and kill any living creature. Almost no one understands the passage in its proper context. Many say that it was YHUH’s CONCESSION. However, this is not the case. YHUH did not authorize Nuach to kill any living creature but rather He sternly forbade him to do so. Note verse 4 as it stands in the KJV:  “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.”  ESV: But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.  Hebrew Bible:  But flesh within its life blood do not eat.. 

This does not mean that you simply must not eat flesh or meat without blood or that meat should be koshered and blood removed from it. The biological fact is: no matter what you do you can never remove all the blood from the flesh of a slaughtered animal. The text does not say that you must not eat “blood” but it says that you must not eat “flesh with blood.” Since you can never actually partake of flesh or meat without at the same time also eating blood, it logically follows that you must not eat meat. But the fact is: the Abaryt text does not speak about flesh or meat in a literal sense which is actually cut or removed from the carcass of a slaughtered animal. The expression “flesh” has been used many times throughout Scripture to mean “living creature” and it has been used several times in reference to the Flood. By closely examining the context in which it is used we shall see that YHUH never meant that we must not eat flesh which is stained with blood but rather that we must not kill and eat animals, “living creatures” in whose veins blood circulates.

In Brashyth 6:12 YHUH says: “For all flesh had corrupted their way.” Flesh in this statement does not and cannot mean “meat” but actually “animate beings.” In verse 13 YHUH said: “The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them.”

Again YHUH was not talking about meat but rather living or animate beings that corrupted their original way of life and YHUH given ordinances. Verse 19 clearly shows that “flesh” in fact includes “all living things”: “Of every living thing of all flesh.” Verse 15 also clearly shows that “flesh” refers to animate creatures or animals as animate beings and not meat which you eat: “And they [all animals] went in unto Nuach into the ark, two and two of all flesh.” Verse 21 again positively proves that “flesh” does not refer to meat but rather all living creatures: “And all flesh died that moved upon the earth.” In chapter 8:17 YHUH says to Nuach: “Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you, of all flesh.” So in every single case where the word “flesh” is used by YHUH in chapters which deal with the Flood, the word applies to all living creatures, that is, animate beings in whose nostrils was the breath of life.

So, let us take a look again at the passage of Brashyth 9:4 where YHUH actually speaks and gives Nuach a specific prohibition concerning his diet.  YHUH tells Nuach what he must not eat under any circumstance: “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not  eat.”  With a clearer understanding, “beings or creatures or souls which are alive or animate whose life is in the blood, you shall not eat.”  The text clearly prohibits the slaughter of animals for food whose life is in the blood.

How could have YHUH told Nuach that he could kill animals in order to eat their flesh when it was for that very reason that He caused the Flood on Earth? YHUH brought about the Flood only because all “flesh” that is, all living beings or living souls on Earth corrupted their way of life and through their corruption they filled the Earth with violence. Uyaqra 17, vs. 10-11, 14 reiterate the command that any meat eaten cannot contain blood. 

Now, we know that YHUH did allow the eating of flesh as the people came out of Matsarym.  He gave them quail specifically.   But in reading Bmadbar 11, we also know that YHUH did not delight in our hunger for meat.  We know that the people became so cannibalistic, ( that YHUH began slaughtering them because of their hunger, complaining, and disobedience. 

In Uyaqra 11, YHUH was very specific in  flesh could be eaten.  These were the same animals He had designated as clean (tahar) for slaughtered offerings. (Uyaqra 11) Nothing more, and nothing less. The command He gave Shamuth 12:9, Dbarym 16:7, and Dbry HaYamym Byth 35:13 was that any meat eaten must be roasted.  It could not be raw or boiled in water.  By roasting an animal over fire, you are able to cook the blood and the fat out of it as long as you roast it for a long time and make sure it's done down to the marrow.  However, as is noted before, this is not what He initially gave, nor intended for us to eat as sustenance for our bodies. 

In fact, it seems that He actually intends to return us to a day where there will be no enmity between beast and beast, or man and beast. In that great day, when the Root of Yashay comes to reign among the people, YHUH will return all living beings to their former way of life, and eating……

Yashayahu 11:6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;         and a little child shall lead them.  7The ox and the bear shall graze (ie. Eat grasses); their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the viper's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my qadash mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of YHUH as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Yashay, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be splendid. 11 In that day YHUH will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Ashur, from Matsarym, from Pathrus, from Kush, from Aylam, from Shanar, from Chamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 12 He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Yasharal, and gather the dispersed of Yahudah from the four corners of the earth.  13 The jealousy of Aphraym shall depart, and those who harass Yahudah shall be cut off; Aphraym shall not be jealous of Yahudah, and Yahudah shall not harass Aphraym. 14 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against Adum and Muab, and the Amuny shall obey them. 15  And YHUH will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Matsarym, and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and he will lead people across in sandals. 16  And there will be a highway from Ashur for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Yasharal when they came up from the land of Matsarym.

As we see, it was never YHUH’s plan that we eat flesh.  And it is His plan, when He actually does redeem Yasharal once again from the bonds of slavery and captivity, to return us all to Brashyth 1:29-30. 

With that being said, I have put this way of eating into practice.  I have committed myself to eating the way YHUH intended for us to eat.  In doing so, I have managed to lose 30 pounds in less than a year.  In addition to the weight loss, I have also noticed that when everyone around me is sick from colds or flu, I pretty much remain immune to it.  I stopped having asthma attacks and I’ve had very few sinus infections.  I also overcame a blood illness. 

I must say that eating Brashyth 1:29-30 has been the best thing I could have ever done for my health and it also has enhanced my spiritual well-being.  It has allowed me to connect to nature in a way I never have before, and I have found renewed delight in cooking, as I try new foods and create new recipes.

I recently started walking every day and it has strengthened my body, is shaping my muscles, and reshaping my body as well as my mind.  

I take delight in being obedient to my Creator.  I love Him, and my Joy and Fullness of living is in Him. 

Alykham Shalum,

Tamar

Raw, Vegan, Tahur

About a year or so ago, a few of my sisters and I embarked on a raw food journey.  On this journey we would eat raw, stay vegan, and make sure all of our food was tahur and in line with Scripture.  We decided to eat raw or at least 80% raw, for thirty days.  Some of us made it, and others did not. 

On the raw “diet”, I noticed several things right away.  My mental clarity increased, my energy level increased, my irritability decreased, and I slept better.  I can honestly say that my overall mood was on a higher plane.

Based on what I experienced in regard to my health, I decided to stick to a raw, vegan, and tahur “diet” after the 30 days, and saw great improvement in my health. 

 

I have been vegan for about 4 years and eating tahur that entire time.  Eating according to the Word saw me lose 25 lbs and increase my strength, energy, and quality of life.  I had suffered from migraines for years.  Gone!  I also suffered severe allergies.  Gone!  I went without a cold or sinus infection for over two years. 

 

But what has been incredible, is that during the time I decided to eat 80% raw,  a blood illness that I had been suffering from which had left me extremely fatigued, prone to bruising, and sick all the time disappeared.  I mean it was GONE!!!  In addition to changing how I was eating as well as what I was eating, I supplemented with a natural vegan B12 and a D3 made from lanolin.  I wasn’t exercising at all during this time, yet my health became better, and stayed that way. 

 

At least it did, until I started eating more cooked foods.

I noticed in the past few months, that the fatigue, bloat, irritability, as well as the inability to lose weight all came roaring back.  I immediately started getting headaches, and suffered a sinus infection.  Folks try and tell me that it was stress or changes in the weather.  But I know better. 

 So, I am returning to the raw food way of eating.  I realize that just like being vegan, raw food living is a lifestyle.  It is not a diet nor is it part of a weight loss plan.  Eating raw foods means just that, eating food as close to its natural raw state as possible.  Now I know that some raw foodies will eat food cooked to a temperature of about 104 degrees or less.  And there are certain foods that actually have an increase in their nutrient level when cooked slightly, such as spinach.  However, making sure you’re not cooking food at temps higher than 104 degrees is difficult, to say the least. 

 What I did during my year of eating raw, was I searched foods that would be nutritionally enhanced by being sautéed or lightly steamed.  I also learned how to freeze fruits and veggies without blanching them first.  Although blanching requires a short cooking time, the heat is boiling and temperatures are well over 104 degrees.  With blanching, you also have to quickly immerse the food in ice cold water, in order to stop the cooking process.  This alters the nutrient structure of the food.  I'm not totally against blanching, however I do encourage all to keep the nutrients in your food as intact as possible.

 

When freezing my fruits and plant foods, I try to freeze food as quickly as possible after picking them.  If I am unable to self pick, I try to purchase these foods at farmers markets, or at natural produce stores that sell mostly local produce.  I look at all labels and try not to ever purchase fruits or plant foods that come from distant places.  My only exception is organic frozen mango and sometimes organic frozen pineapple.  I buy only non-gmo produce and read the labels to see if the producer freezes them as soon as possible after picking.  I understand well that when it comes to plant foods, most are blanched before freezing, so I rarely purchase frozen plant foods.  Sticking almost entirely to the frozen mango and pineapple.  During season, I try and go to the local farms and pick the rest of my fruit for freezing for the long season without fruit harvest in the Pacific Northwest.  Otherwise, I am not fond of eating fruits or plant foods that are not in season. 

Anyway, some time ago, I had embarked on a journey to develop a recipe book based on clean, vegan dishes that were tasty and good for the mind, body, and soul.  My recent decision to return to raw living food has changed that plan.   Currently, I am endeavoring to develop as many great tasting raw food recipes as possible.  Until then, I encourage you to learn what it means to sprout your beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and plant foods.  Learn why nuts, seeds, and legumes should be soaked prior to eating.  Discover for yourself, how easy, nutritious, and delicious raw food living truly is.

Alykham Shalum,

Tamar

Pray Your Brothers and Sisters Back to YHUH

Today is probably one of the saddest days of my life.  I've been made to feel low because of the heartbreak my Yasharalyt brother is suffering.

I keep thinking about all of the people that have been proven false or that have just simply given up.  But this, this is just too much.  I see now that it is possible for even those we hold in the highest esteem to slip and fall.

I'm not a gossip or business spreader.  What I am is a sister truly concerned and distraught by a message I received today.  It's not my place to share the contents, if this brother sent that post to you, then you know of whom I speak.

But this is not why I am posting this on my blog today.  I am posting because I am saddened by the prospect that we seem to get so caught up in being Yasharal that sometimes we forget that we are fallible, flesh and blood, human.  We stink.  We are rotten to the core.  In fact YHUH says that we are wicked and deceitful in our inner man.

Now, please don't get me wrong, I'm not calling out anyone's faults.  However we ALL have them.  And it is foolish to think we do not.

How do we know if we've been pardoned from all the chata we've committed?  I tell you how.  We seek YHUH in all humility and turn completely away from chata, seek His face, and ask Him to pardon us.  Then and only then does He pardon us.  And He says that when we do this our iniquities are removed from us.  BUT, if we return to that chata, then our righteousness is removed.  We have to trust that YHUH does exactly as He says.  And yes, often we are haunted by our past, by the things we did when before we sought YHUH.  Thats a good thing.  If our chata is ever before us, it makes it
easier for us to not do that again.

Some would think this means that we haven't been forgiven, but that's not the truth.  Daud said his
iniquities are ALWAYS before him.. This means that he lives with what he has done against YHUH each and every day.  It's on his mind and in his heart.  He knows that's he's lived a foul and filthy existence, and he realizes that nothing HE does could ever make it right.  However, he trusted in YHUH blindly, and believed in what YHUH spoke to his ancestors about being chosen and he clung to YHUHs promises.

But, As usual I digress.  The purpose of this post is what is important when one of our sisters or brothers "slip."   What are our responsibilities to that person?  What is expected of us?

In Yaqab's letter to the Yasharalyt/Yahudym in the dispersion, he admonishes them to turn a brother or sister who has strayed back to YHUH and he also says that if any brother or sister who is suffering kakopatheo (hardships, trouble, afflictions, sufferings) or astheneo (disease, impotence, weakness, sickness), we who are not afflicted should bring that person to the elders as they did in the days of old so that they could be anointed and prayed for (Uyaqra 4,  Malakym Alaph 17, Husha 5, Yashayahu 30, 58, Yaramyahu 29) and that the prayers of the RIGHTEOUS would avail.  In Yaramyahu 9 YHUH told the Prophet to bring forth the women who sing and wail sings of mourning and lamentation because death (spiritual death) has entered into our high places and cut off our children.

But, where are our elders?  Where are our mourning women?  It would seem as if there aren't any to be found.  Too many false teachers, speakers, and witnesses.  Too many silly maidens out here following after these false teachers and crooked men.  Too many women being those spoken of in Yashayahu 3.  Too many men leading when they aren't truly called by YHUH.

It is because of this that Yasharal continues to suffer, and our men and our women are falling off.  YHUH said that He has saved a remnant.  That means a very small left over portion.  Know what this means?  It means that not all who proclaim the truth are living it.  Not all who say His name belong to Him.

We need to understand this, and seek out the ancient paths and stop trying to live For YHUH with mindsets of the world in which we live.  We also need to pray for those that have been proven true.  We need to hold up their arms so that they do not grow weary.  We need to stop giving them reason to feel anguish, and lift them up.  There's truly so few of them.  We need to show YHUH and those that are truly called by Him that we appreciate the Barakah that we receive because of His anointed.  And we need to stop acting like every man with a beard and tassels is anointed of YHUH.

When we seek YHUH, He will reveal those whim He has called.  And when He leads us to them, we will know them by their fruit.

Shalum alykham

Tamar

Longevity

Achuthy Yahuchana shared an article about longevity and blue zones in one of the groups she manages on Facebook.  The article caused me to pause and do a little research into blue zones, and what they are.  What I discovered led me to dig a little more into the whys and hows of longevity. 

 

Below is a brief summary of what I learned:

 

Ten percent of longevity is determined by genes, the remaining ninety percent by lifestyle choices.

Blue zones are described as areas where people live exceptionally long lives.  There are only five such locations where this is pretty common throughout the world.  The five regions identified and discussed in the book The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest, are outlined below:

 Sardinia, Italy (particularly Nuoro province and Ogliastra): one team of demographers found a hot spot of longevity in mountain villages where men reach the age of 100 years at an amazing rate.

 The islands of Okinawa, Japan: another team examined a group that is among the longest-lived on Earth

 Loma Linda, California: researchers studied a group of Seventh-day Adventists who rank among North America's longevity all-stars

Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: the peninsula was the subject of research on a Quest Network expedition which began on January 29, 2007.

Icaria, Greece: an April 2009 study on the island of Ikaria uncovered the location with the highest percentage of 90 year-olds on the planet - nearly 1 out of 3 people make it to their 90s. Furthermore, Ikarians "have about 20 percent lower rates of cancer, 50 percent lower rates of heart disease and almost no dementia".

Residents of the first three places produce a high rate of centenarians, suffer a fraction of the diseases that commonly kill people in other parts of the developed world, and enjoy more healthy years of life.

The people inhabiting Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity.

There seems to be six shared characteristics among the people of Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda Blue Zones:

Family – put ahead of other concerns
Less smoking
Vegetarianism – except for the Sardinian diet, the majority of food consumed is derived from plants
Constant moderate physical activity – an inseparable part of life
Social engagement – people of all ages are socially active and integrated into their communities
Legumes – commonly consumed

What seems to be shared among all of the people in the blue zones is that they share a very similar way of living.  A way of living that was quite common among the Abaryt or Hebrew people in Scripture.

These similarities are outlined below:

Exercise is natural, not with grueling hours at the gym or workouts that beat up and tear your

body down instead of encouraging natural flexibility, strength, and tone based off regular day to
day activities such as household chores, gardening, and taking regular walks. 

Spending time outdoors, not just for the needed vitamin D, but for exercise and fresh air also.

Sharing in community life where elders are generally celebrated and looked to for wisdom, are

Respected as valuable members of their communities, and as such impact the children around
them.

Having a sense of purpose.  In other words, not being treated as if they are too old to do

anything, including working.  Their skills and experiences are sought after and respected.

Eating wisely.  All of these groups enjoy diets that are surprisingly as close to nature as one can

get.  They consume lots of green vegetables and legumes.  They do not over eat.  They eat
wisely and in moderation.  Because of this, they have lower rates of obesity, diabetes, heart
disease, cancers, and mental disease.

Have a strong social understanding.  They have strong and supportive intimate as well as
communal relationships.  Family comes before community and community comes before
money and material things.  They maintain close friendships  and live in a supportive structure. 

It is very important to them to maintain and stay in touch with their spiritual and cultural
customs.  They look upon the customs of the Western world as wicked, and pretty much
unnecessary to living.

When interviewed, a group of centenarians living in the United States it was obvious that their “secret” to longevity was pretty similar to those living in the blue zones.  They stated the following as what has kept them alive and healthy 100+ years:

                Having a positive attitude, and not living life surrounded by negativity

                Eating less and wiser, over 75% are complete vegetarians
                Exercising the mind as well as the body, most walk daily as well as read
                Having a strong foundation in their belief
                Having a loving and supportive family
                Keeping their bodies as clean from smoking, drinking, drugs, and toxins as they can

 Many of the centenarians interviewed stated that they enjoy some of the modern conveniences like computers and such, but that they feel that today people are lazy, and unmotivated, and have no idea of what hard work really means.  They said that they feel privileged to have lived in times were life was more simple and people took care of each other, lived off the land, and wasn’t so worried about how much money they made as they were about keeping their families whole, healthy, and loved.   

It is well understood among them that the true secret to living life past 65 and into their 100s, is that to live as old as Mashah/Moses did, they have to live like Mashah/Moses did.

Let go and allow YHUH

This post isn't about food or even nutrition.  What it is, is a message about favor.   Several years ago, when I started this journey toward YHUH, I felt as if I had been given the responsibility to "save" my family and everyone around me.   It took me a little while to understand and realize that I couldn't save anyone, not even myself, and that salvation came only through the will, by way of the hand, of YHUH.

But, sometimes I still thought "pray for their salvation."  What I've learned to ask instead, is show me how to be an EFFECTIVE witness!  I've slowly come to realize that all I can do is walk what I talk, and truly it's up to YHUH to do the rest.

I've learned that there is nothing in me that makes a difference, but it's HIS Ruach dwelling within me that makes the difference.  I've learned that it's not about how much I read, study, pray, etc...  But it's about my obedience to YHUH, my complete and utter trust in HIM, that allows HIM to dwell within me.

I've said all of this, to lead into my story.....

Today, I've learned what it means to let go and allow YHUH to work HIS perfect will in my life.  I've learned that in order for your witness to be effective, you have to trust and surrender completely to the One that you serve.  I've learned that I don't control anything, not even my own salvation.  I've come to understand that through all my trials and tribulations, as well as my triumphs, all that I am, I owe to YHUH.

So, today, I was able to sit back and watch HIM work and it was amazing!  Sometimes when you think you've not prayed enough, taught enough, witnessed enough, the manifestation of the Ruach inside you is made apparent.  It's true that we have to be aware of what we say and do because someone is always watching.  Always!

And as I've struggled with wondering what's going to happen to my children and their salvation if something was to happen to me, YHUH showed me that it's never been about me, and that if I just let go and allow HIM to do what He says He will, my children are already taken care of.

Today I was able to witness my daughter teach and lead someone to the river that flows with life.  Today I was able to witness the of the Ruach of YHUH speak through her.  It was awesome, beautiful, and spiritually moving....  And HE showed me that He has them and I don't have to worry.

Now, I understand that this doesn't mean that there won't be days that we won't mess up, but YHUH is trustworthy, and He's just, and He will do exactly as He said.  He will bring barakuth upon the obedient, and curses upon the disobedient.  Right now, my daughter is being Baruk and I am able to witness her Barakah, and I am overjoyed as if it were my own.

Now THIS, is favor.  Sometimes as parents we tend to take on more than what we should when it comes to our children.   We need to remember that in reality, they are just loaned to us.  We have a responsibility to train them in the truth, and to teach them the Turah of YHUH when we rise and when we lay down, while in our gates and when we are outside our gates.  We are supposed to bind the Turah of YHUH to our hands as well as our foreheads.  In other words, the Turah is supposed to dictate everything we do and think.  This is our responsibility to our children,  and when we do this, YHUH will certainly take care of the rest.  Our children belong to the One who created them, and we have a duty to bring them up with knowledge and understanding of who their Father is, and lead them to obey and love Him.  We are to teach them to rejoice in serving Him, and desire to obey His commands.

So as I witnessed my daughter be a witness, I realized that she was witnessing to me also.  And I took it all in and absorbed it like a dry sponge soaking up living water.   YHUH made me to understand that the same word He has given to me, is the same word He has given to her.  And though our
approach to it has been different, we've been made to receive it as one.  YHUH has brought unity between me and my daughter, through HIM.  We share something spectacular, and that is our desire to serve Him in spirit and in truth.

As I watched and listened to my daughter open the eyes of another to who YHUH is, all I could do was say thank You.  And as tears of joy streamed down my face, I kneeled before His throne and gave Him praise.

Truly YHUH is wonderful.  I will praise Him always!

When you let go and allow YHUH to do what He wills to do,  you get to see perfection.

Alykham Shalum.

Tamar

Raw Living

I have been struggling for months to make the decision to begin eating raw.  Beginning today, I am joining my son-in-law in making a permanent decision to go raw.  We've done it as a family for a short time, but began cooking our food again shortly after that experience.

Funny that the more I study the lifestyles and eating habits of ancient Yasharal, I am discovering that not only was meat not a part of their normal and daily diet, even after being allowed to eat Tahur/clean meat, they usually restricted flesh to slaughtered offerings and certain feasts.

In addition, most of their cooked food was limited to grains, which they ate as bread.  Their other option for eating grains, and even legumes was eating them soaked, but raw.

So, as I read about my ancestors I am trying to understand why they ate they way they did.  What I am finding out is that they had great wisdom, and knowledge about nutrition.  Contrary to popular belief, the children of YHUH were not some nomadic savages that were filthy and dirty and didn't know how to take care of themselves.  Remember it was a young Yasharalyt man that showed the pharaoh how to survive famine.

These people understood the importance of eating their fruits and veggies, nuts and legumes raw or soaked.  Many of their foods were left to ferment so that they could take advantage of the probiotics found in abundance in fermented foods.  They understood that in order to obtain the maximum amount of healthy enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients in their food, it had to be eaten raw, soaked, or fermented.  They understood that cooking, even just a simple sauté would zap all these food nutrients from their food.  It wasn't that they had no way of cooking, or a lack of facilities to cook as we do, they were just wiser than we are and more connected with the earth and the bounty of nutrition it provided them.

Over thousands of years, we've become sicker and sicker.  Even with all the "knowledge" we claim to have.  We are dying at younger ages despite the inventions.  Our food is less healthy, even when we cut back on processed foods, we still cook our natural foods to death.  Literally killing all the nutritional value the foods possess.

Eating raw, in the scheme of things, just makes sense. If cooking destroys the vital and essential nutrients that we need to stay healthy, we should understand that eating our food raw does the exact opposite.  Eating at least 80% raw can provide you with more energy and mental focus, and less of all those ailments that eating cooked foods can cause.  But most importantly, eating at lease 80% raw will provide a way for you to feed your body and give it what it needs to thrive, not just survive.  It will add longevity, especially when compared with moderate exercise and sound sleep.  

*please note that the comments in this post are not to be intended as medical advice! as I am not a medical professional.  All comments are made based on my own study, research, and life experience.  If you need medical advice, please seek a licensed medical professional.